I have been needing a mix-up of my morning breakfast routine. Eggs, toast and fruit or gluten-free oatmeal, can get old after a while. A smoothie is my answer, as of lately. It’s healthy, fast, fresh and fills you up!

We have been so busy lately! In between events (Whew! SXSW wore me out!), work and wedding planning; I feel like I haven’t been able to take a breather and relax 100%. Speaking of wedding planning, things are moving along nicely. I actually went wedding dress shopping recently and found “the ONE” in Austin at a cute local boutique. It feels real that it’s getting close and I’m thrilled.

Also, I’d like to give a shout-out to the hilarious - April Peveteaux - who recently had a book signing for her new book coming out titled ~ Gluten is my Bitch (available for pre-order on Amazon). Thanks for mentioning our mobile app, Locate Special Diet, on your SXSW panel April!

Blueberry-Banana Morning Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 medium ripe banana

2 tablespoons cashew butter (or nut butter of choice)

2/3 cup frozen blueberries

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 packet stevia (optional)

2 tablespoons ground chia seeds

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to combine. Serve chilled.

The topic for this installment is Paleo! For those who are unfamiliar with the Paleo diet (short for Paleolithic), the diet consists mainly of fish and meats (ex: grassfed meat is great), vegetables, nuts, fruits, etc. The Caveman diet (another name for it), excludes all things refined – such as sugar, processed oils (canola oil is a no-no), legumes, grains, dairy, etc.

Just like any lifestyle where you adhere to a certain type of diet – eating out might be a challenge at first. For me, I have Celiac disease so I do not adhere by a diet just because I want to. I do so by medical necessity. [Read more...]

Welcome to the second installment of my contribution to the Austin Food Blogger Alliance City Guide. To view my first post on Gluten-Free Breakfast and Brunch Spots near downtown Austin, click here. Make sure and check out the other Guide posts (will be live March 2) – it’s a great way to see what your favorite bloggers recommend around Austin.

For my readers that are not from Austin, thank you for your patience. We will resume regular posting after the guide is completed (2 more posts to go!)

NOTE: Our app’s website lists helpful tips for the restaurants I mentioned, but if you would like specific recommendations, please do not hesitate to contact us. I was trying to save some space on this blog post and include more options!

For those looking to find other gluten-free restaurant options near them – we now have a mobile app for free download. Seriously! Use our app, called Locate Special Diet to help you navigate the gluten-free scene while you are visiting Austin! (available on iPhone, Android, and our website). Built for the gluten-free people, by local gluten-free people. What more could you ask for?

It’s that time of the year, folks! The annual city guides are upon us … Incoordination with the Austin Food Blogger Alliance, many of us will be sharing our picks for various genres of food around town. This year I will be writing about gluten-free, vegetarian and paleo-friendly options in Austin so stay tuned for those posts in the next two weeks. For my readers who do not live in Austin, regular posting will resume after the guide is completed!

For those looking to find other gluten-free restaurant options near them – we now have a mobile app for free download. Seriously! Use our app, called Locate Special Diet to help you navigate the gluten-free scene while you are visiting Austin! (available on iPhone, Android, and our website). Built for the gluten-free people, by local gluten-free people. What more could you ask for?

I know, I know… another crock pot or slow cooker recipe. I can’t help it. I think I might be addicted. There’s no excuses here… you just chop it up and throw it all together in the pot. It’s that simple. It’s also nice that you can come home to a house smelling delicious, from your dinner cooking all day.

I used a kitchen scale to measure the amount of squash I had. Feel free to improvise.

What’s new with us? Just working away on all of the new features we are adding soon to Locate Special Diet. We are about to expand the mobile app to include ALL 50 states! Super exciting! If you haven’t downloaded it yet, it’s free and available on iPhone and Android ~ Locate Special Diet Mobile Apps

Coming soon to the blog in the next two weeks – The Annual Gluten-Free City Guide! I’m also putting together a Vegetarian City Guide and a Paleo City Guide for Austin. If you do not live in Austin, apologies … regular posting will resume after those posts have been completed! They are in association with the wonderful organization – the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. Speaking of the AFBA, I’ve had the privilege to contribute to the first-ever Austin Food Blogger Alliance Community Cookbook! My gluten-free olive oil pancakes and grilled lime-paprika broccoli will be making an appearance. If you would like to pre-order the cookbook, you may do so by visiting this link: Pre-Order. The cookbook makes a great gift!

Butternut Squash Soup

(Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian)

Equipment: I used a 5 quart slow cooker

Ingredients:

~2.75 lb. of butternut squash (cubed). I used about 2 lb. and ~12.5 ounces.

1 large white onion, rough chop

3 cloves garlic, throw in whole

1 can coconut milk, unsweetened

8 cups water

1 bunch leeks (approximately 3), white parts sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon arrowroot

Optional garnish: Italian parsley

Directions:

Peel the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds (save for roasting later). Slice the butternut squash into medium size cubes. There is no need for this to be perfect, as you will blend this all in the end. Leeks are dirty so make sure and wash them! Slice the white parts of the leeks and place in a bowl of water. Swish the leeks around to remove dirt and drain the water. Rough chop the onion. In your slow cooker, place all of the above ingredients and mix to combine some. Cook on high for 4 hours. Depending on the strength of your slow cooker and size, you might have to cook longer or shorter. Stir every once in a while. Once the butternut squash is fork-tender, use an immersion blender to blend ingredients until smooth. Depending on the amount of butternut squash you use, you might need less water or more water. I prefer my soup slightly thicker, so I used more squash and less water. It’s hard to mess this one up

Prefer to cook this on the stove top instead? Sure, it’s possible. Use a large soup pot or dutch oven and use the same amount of ingredients. You will need less cooking time for this preparation.

If you are looking for a dish to throw on your Superbowl menu, look no further. This one-pot wonder is full of flavor, and it is so easy to make. There are so many different ways this dish can be served. I chose to plate mine over quinoa, but you may choose to plate over rice, buckwheat; or even on tortillas as a taco. If you do decide to use this recipe for tacos, make sure you remove some of the liquid before placing on the tortilla.

Pour the chicken stock into your slow cooker or crockpot (mine is 5 quarts). Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In a food processor, add 1 onion and the garlic cloves. Pulse till the onions are finely shredded and the garlic is minced (I do this because the onion’s juices provide a great liquid. You’re welcome to just dice very finely, and mince garlic finely). Add onion-garlic mixture to the slow cooker, along with the remaining ingredients. Mix around the remaining ingredients in the slow cooker to combine and evenly spread on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 6 hours (depending on your slow cooker, times may change). Check occasionally and stir. Chicken should fall apart and shred easily once completed.

This Raw Kale and Avocado Salad with Lime-Sriracha Vinaigrette is packed with nutrients like – fiber, b-vitamins, vitamin K, A and more.

Don’t let the title of this post scare you. This salad is not only nutritious, but it is also tasty.

I have always loved kale. I eat it raw, steamed, sautéed, in smoothies, and so on. It has always been one of my favorite vegetables. Some people however, are terrified of kale. There is something about the big curly leaves that scares them. Try it this way and see what you think. Adding an entire avocado and one of my favorite condiments, Sriracha, definitely helps calm the natural flavor of kale. You’ll find yourselves going for seconds.

The event is called Bootin’ the Gluten and the details are below. Locate Special Diet will be there and many other local vendors. Make sure and ask the concierge for their gluten-free grocery list; which is updated frequently and different for each Whole Foods location. They make shopping gluten-free easy!

The Bootin’ the Gluten Fair on Saturday will feature live music, product samples, store tours and more.

FREE goodie bags will be given to the first 100 customers!

From noon – 3pm, shoppers will enjoy Store-Wide Product Sampling of gluten free products in every department, and will be able to meet the vendors of their favorite gluten-free products, while enjoying live music on the patio by Vanessa Lively.

Other events include:
Noon – Bootin’ the Gluten Store Tour, Learn about products in every department, space is limited, call 512-345-5003 to RSVP

Noon-2 pm – Kids Club games & activities on the patio

2pm – Bootin’ the Gluten Gift Basket Drawing!

Disclaimer: Thanks for the <free> goodie bag, Whole Foods! They are a great organization, and I always support places or products that make it easier to live the gluten-free lifestyle. Make sure and stop by the event if you are in Austin!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I had a wonderful time with my family and fiancé in Jackson, Wyoming. We visited for yet another white Christmas and it was beautiful. Filled with laughter, snowboarding, eating, drinking and more. I can’t wait to go back (for our wedding)!

If you have never been to Jackson, you must visit! It’s extremely gluten-free friendly, and has a wonderful foodie scene. If you visit, download my free mobile app and find GF options near you. Filter by type of food, view menus, tips and more. Search LOCATE SPECIAL DIET in the iTunes and Android marketplace. If you aren’t visiting Jackson anytime soon, no worries, Locate Special Diet is also in 45 other U.S. cities and expanding very soon.

Instagram photo of my gluten-free and dairy-free waffles at Lotus Cafe in Jackson, WY. Almond milk latte on the side, of course.

Back to my vacation…

It was lovely. I snowboarded everyday (my favorite sport), and was able to purchase my first board, boot and bindings (Hello, Burton FeelGood Flying V)!

So many great powder days!

I came up with the idea to do a series called “Things I’m Loving” while flying home to Austin. Everyday, I come across so many interesting articles, blog posts, recipes, photographs, products, etc, that I thought would be great to share on here. Most of the time I’ll share these finds on Facebook and Twitter but thought you all might enjoy seeing these on occasion as well.

If you have come across a new “gluten-free find”, share it in the comment section. ATX Gluten-Free has grown to be a wonderful community and I’m thankful for that. Being gluten-free can suck sometimes, let’s be honest. I’m also dairy-free now which can also be a pain in the a**. We’re here to help, and your input is always welcome. Leave some comments below and share your favorites with other readers!

But first, I want to share about my lovely trip to the LUNA Bar and Clif Bar HQ this past summer…

Back in June, I had the privilege to fly to one of my favorite cities in the world (San Francisco) and visit the LUNA Bar headquarters. I tell you what … LUNA is a wonderful company. I love their products, people and company culture. They are awesome! View my trip through my Instagram pictures below.

Waiting at the airport for my flight. Wearing Converse shoes, as always

Welcome to Clif Bar and LUNA headquarters in Berkeley, California

Lunch was catered by their company kitchen. It was awesome, and of course gluten-free and dairy-free.

A look inside their gym, they have a rock climbing wall. How awesome is that?

Grab a snack, anytime.

I’m always down for a good cup of coffee.

LUNA and Clif HQ. Check out the bikes!

Road trip to St. Helena, California to visit the Clif Family Winery. I bet you didn’t know they make wine, did you? Great wine too!

Overall, my experience visiting the LUNA headquarters was wonderful. I learned many exciting things about their company and can’t wait to follow along their journey as they continue to grow. If you haven’t had a chance to try the Clif Family Winery wines, nut mixes or olive oil, do yourself a favor and buy them! Great products, from great people.

Since my background is in nutrition, I found their in-house (Tara DelloIacono Thies) dietitian’s stance on the Power of Positive Snacking very interesting. Check out the LUNA website to learn more. Also, make sure and check out some other things that make LUNA special – like Team Luna Chix, their causes they support, and LUNAfest short films.

LUNA Protein Bar GIVEAWAY!

All of the LUNA protein flavors are gluten-free and I’m giving away 1 box of LUNA Protein Cookie Dough and LUNA Protein Mint Chocolate Chip to one lucky reader! These happen to be two of my favorite flavors and I always have one in my purse.

To enter the giveaway:

*Leave a comment in the comment section and tell us: What is your favorite LUNA Bar flavor?

Giveaway ends Thursday, December 20, 2012 at 5 p.m. CST. (Giveaway now closed). Winner will be chosen using Random.org. The winner will be contacted via email so make sure and leave your email address in the comment section as well.

Good luck and Cheers!

Disclaimer: LUNA Bar provided me with a complimentary trip to California to visit their headquarters. This giveaway is sponsored by LUNA. This does not sway my opinion in any way, as I love their company and their products.